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SUPER SAVOURY VEGGIE, HEMP & MILLET NUGGETS

June 7th, 2017

pin it!pin it!pin it!
I was going to call these something cute like “bites” or “mini patties,” but if you can’t tell from the irregular shapes, I was definitely aiming for the familiarity of the nugget here. I was HOOKED on frozen vegan “chicken” strips/nuggets when I first went plant-based, which is funny and a teeny bit embarrassing at the same time. Having said that, I usually find myself craving those breaded morsels when I’m having a crappy day. Comfort nuggets ;)

I’ve made a few dietary changes recently (still plant-based), and millet has been one of my best buds at dinnertime. It has a slight corn-like flavor and a fluffy/sticky texture that makes meals feel hearty.

I’ve been buying these millet-based veggie burgers and bites (the grown up version of those nuggets from my youth) for those times when convenience is key. I love them because the texture is great and the ingredients are simple—so simple that I felt silly shelling out money for something I could probably figure out with a bit of time. Millet is the first ingredient and psyllium husk is a little bit down the line. Those two things alone seemed sticky enough to make it work with minimal effort.

So I made it work! These are waaaay better than the frozen ones and they’re so much more economical. Plus you can customize them to your liking with the vegetables, herbs, and spices. They tick off all the major free’s for all of the people in your life: no animal products, gluten, sugar, soy or nuts. And they’ve actually got some crunch on the exterior! I bet you could easily double the batch and make some nice veggie burgers with the same method here.

I haven’t tried freezing these and heating them from that point yet. My guess is that you could form the nuggets, freeze them on the baking sheet, and then transfer them to a container in your freezer for storage. To cook from frozen, I’d probably let them go 25-26 minutes, rather than the 22 that I state in the recipe below. Let me know if you try this! Nuggets of gratitude going out to all of you this week hehe :D

pin it!pin it!pin it!SUPER SAVOURY VEGGIE, HEMP & MILLET NUGGETSPrint the recipe here!Serves: 3-4 (about 10 nuggets)Notes:You could replace the broccoli and carrots with any finely grated vegetable you’re into. If you want to keep this recipe oil-free, sauté the vegetables in a little bit of water and definitely bake the nuggets on parchment (rather than on a naked baking sheet). I haven’t tried these nuggets with quinoa or rice or any other grain, so experiment at your own risk. Last thing: the psyllium husk is the glue here and yes, you need it. It can be found inexpensively at bulk stores, health food shops, online, and even at HomeSense/Home Goods stores!NUGGETS: ⅓ cup dry millet (or if you have cooked on hand, you’ll need 1 cup of cooked millet)sea salt and ground black pepper, to taste1 tablespoon avocado oil (or other oil), plus extra½ cup grated broccoli (about 4-5 regular florets grated with a box grater)½ cup grated carrot (1 medium carrot)2 small shallots, peeled1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary½ teaspoon ground turmeric½ teaspoon lemon zestpinch of cayenne pepper2 tablespoons hulled hemp seeds1 ½ teaspoons psyllium husk powder1 tablespoon nutritional yeast1 teaspoon grainy mustardCREAMY MAPLE MUSTARD DIPPING SAUCE:2 tablespoons raw cashew butter2 tablespoons water, plus extra to thin1 tablespoon pure maple syrup1 tablespoon grainy mustard1 teaspoon lemon juice1 small clove of garlic, finely grated with a microplanesea saltPreheat the oven to 400 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Lightly brush the parchment with oil and set aside. In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, combine the millet with ¾ cup water and a pinch of salt. Cover and bring to a boil. Simmer the millet until all water is absorbed and grains appear fluffy/lightly mushy, about 20-25 minutes. Set aside to cool.Heat the avocado oil in a medium sauté pan over medium heat. Add the broccoli and carrots to the pan. Using the box grater, grate the shallots and transfer them to the pan as well. Season the vegetables with salt and pepper, and stir. Cook until carrots are soft and broccoli is bright green. Stir in the rosemary, turmeric, lemon zest, and cayenne pepper before taking off the heat to cool slightly.Pack a 1 cup measurement with the cooled millet. You might have a couple mouthfuls extra. Transfer the cup of millet to a food processor. Add the cooked vegetable mixture to the food processor as well. Lastly: add the hemp seeds, psyllium husk powder, nutritional yeast, and grainy mustard to the food processor. Season the mixture with salt and pepper.Run the food processor on high until the grains and vegetables start clumping together.Form the nuggets: lightly oil your hands and measure out a scant 2 tablespoons of the millet mixture per nugget. Shape into little patties or freeform bites and set on the parchment lined baking sheet.Once all the nuggets are formed, lightly brush the tops with a bit more oil. Slide the baking sheet into thge oven and bake for 22 minutes, flipping the nuggets halfway. They should be lightly browned and feel solid enough to pick up.To make the dipping sauce, in a small bowl, whisk together the cashew butter, water, maple syrup, mustard, lemon juice, garlic, and salt. Add more water to thin if necessary.Serve nuggets warm with the dipping sauce!

I have never thought to grate brocoli!! What a great idea to cook it quickly and sneak in those nutrients (sometimes the smell really puts me off). I will definitely be trying these as I too have a soft patch for frozen vegan nuggets – but am fearful of the ingredient list. Thankfully these look and sound much healthier – yummo!ReplyCancel

I don’t think I have had nuggets of any kind since dorm food in college! These suddenly have me craving them again- with your healthified yummy make-over, of course. Also that dipping sauce sounds like my kinda flavor. Definitely wanna try these this summer! :) xxReplyCancel

Dear Laura
This is perfect timing as I am going low on lectins (yes, I’ll have a try with the Plant Paradox Method) and was wondering how I can make millet burgers… Thank you so much, they look super delicious! I will certainly make them soon.
Love from Switzerland,
PetraReplyCancel

I LOVE these!! After reading the Plant Paradox I’ve been thinking about ways to use ore millet and this is exactly what I crave now. Thanks for the inspo! xxReplyCancel

Shirleen07/06/2017 - 12:23 pm

These look really good! I am kinda hooked on Gardein products and Lightlife dogs, vegan junkfood at its finest, although I try to limit processed fakey meaty foods. Where did you get the wire mesh shelves pictured? They are very nice looking. Thank you.ReplyCancel

I too went through a “comfort nugget” phase, and I still sometimes feel tempted to grab a box from the frozen aisle. Your homemade version sounds (and looks!) infinitely better though. I haven’t tried cooking with psyllium husk yet, so perhaps this will be a good recipe for me to test the waters. <3ReplyCancel

These look fantastic Laura! And you always create the best sauces to accompany your delicious recipes. Although I like broccoli in any form, I recently discovered that I love it most grated up in little bites like these =)ReplyCancel

Super, Laura: many many thanks –– looking forward to adding these to the rotation! You do such a wonderful job with imaginative savoury flavour combinations always. You know, we’ve been using the psyllium-as-binder trick for a couple of years now for veggie burgers, instead of the older-fashioned vegetarian option of egg, and I must say we really have found it to work excellently –– better than flax or chia, certainly, but possibly even better than the egg sometimes. Veg patties that really hold together = win!!! I LOVE the addition of bits of vegetable here along with the grain.
This creamy sauce is going to work well for other purposes, too! A lovely change-up from the tahini-based versions we default to so often.
(But “comfort nugget” … can’t help but chuckle/snort a bit at that one! So funny.)ReplyCancel

Kerstin13/06/2017 - 8:57 am

Hi Laura,

I just made your nuggets, they are fantastic! And the dip is awesome. I love your recipes, your blog and your book.ReplyCancel

made these the other day… super easy and very tasty :) I ended up putting a cup of grated broccoli since what I grated ended up to be that amount and it worked fine. thanks a lot for the recipe!ReplyCancel

Carol Dunlop15/07/2017 - 5:30 am

OBSESSED WITH THESE NUGGETS ! Have made them twice already . Thank you ❤️ReplyCancel

Alexandra20/07/2017 - 4:29 pm

I was excited to try this with cooked quinoa instead of millet as I often have it on hand. Our version was delicious and I can report that the replacement worked very well. I made a double batch and upped the amount of carrot and broccoli just a little. I chose to finely chop the carrot and broccoli in the food processor rather than grate them and was very happy with the results. My 3yr old enjoyed making them with me as well as the end result!ReplyCancel

Kara24/07/2017 - 3:49 pm

Can’t wait to try these! The only part the confused me at first was the ingredients call for cooked millet, but in the directions you outline how to cook the millet…. just for a novice cook it might be confusing… ; ) Thank you! love your cookbook and recipes!!!ReplyCancel

Hi Sarah!
I think these would freeze quite well in a par-cooked state. Like I’d bake them for half the time stated, cool them completely, then freeze them on a baking sheet. Then, once they’re totally hard, I’d transfer them to a zipper seal bag or tupperware. I think you could bake them straight from the freezer with this setup. Let me know how it goes if you try it.
-LReplyCancel

Amy15/08/2017 - 2:31 pm

I made these last night, I doubled the recipe and for some reason it only created 1.5 cups cooked millet, so the mix was very loose. I tried adding a bit more psyllium powder and tossed in some flax seed to thicken it but it was still like batter. Anyway I put some sploges on a baking sheet and drizzled with oil, flipped after about 15 mins. They turned out like tasty millet cookies. My kids loved having cookies with mustard dip for lunch today! The flavours in the mix and the dip are great, I will try with nugget goals another time.

I used 2 broccoli stalks I’d saved and they grated beautifully – good use for stalks! (I used food processor grating attachment and just pushed the carrots, shallot and broccoli stalks through that).

Don’t think you need to preheat the oven so early as stated in recipe, seems waste of energy when there’s so much to do beforehand.

I’ll try this again with ample cooked millet to hand. Thanks!ReplyCancel

Smadar05/09/2017 - 7:13 pm

HOLY MOTHER OF DELICIOUSNESS Laura, this recipe is the bomb. That maple mustard sauce is dangerous. You are simply the best.ReplyCancel

Sveta16/09/2017 - 1:57 am

Hi there. Is there a substitute for mustard? My husband is allergic. Thank you.ReplyCancel

Shannon K.24/10/2017 - 12:27 pm

This might be a silly question — but is each serving of the 3-4 servings ~10 nuggets or does this make 10 nuggets total? Just wondering how much these make!ReplyCancel

Not a silly question at all! The recipe makes roughly 10-12 nuggets total. I put it at 3-4 servings because I find the amount of grains here to be quite filling, but I realize that everyone is different. Hope this helps!
-LReplyCancel

Jenna01/11/2017 - 4:33 pm

Super tasty! I didn’t have psyllium husk powder & it wasn’t at my Whole Foods so I used 3/4 tsp of xanthan gum instead & that worked out great!ReplyCancel

Cam06/04/2018 - 2:13 pm

Would millet flour work instead of using the pearls? Can’t wait to make these!!ReplyCancel

I think using millet flour instead of the actual grains might make these pasty and unpleasant-texture wise. You could use cooked quinoa or rice in place of the millet if that’s an option.
-LReplyCancel